Caravaggio

A Life Sacred and Profane

“This book resees its subject with rare clarity and power as a painter for the 21st century.”—Hilary Spurling, New York Times Book Review

In a bravura performance, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores Caravaggio’s staggering artistic achievements, delving into the original Italian sources to create a masterful profile of the mercurial painter. This New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of the Year features more than eighty full-color reproductions of the artist’s best paintings.

Book Details

Paperback

November 2012

ISBN 978-0-393-34343-4

6.1 × 9.3 in
/ 544 pages

Sales Territory: Worldwide, excluding Canada, the British Commonwealth and the European Union.

Other Formats

Awards

Endorsements & Reviews

“Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane reads like a historical-swashbuckler-cum-detective-story while also providing an up-to-date introduction to some of the most admired paintings in Western art. ” — Michael Dirda, Washington Post

“Graham-Dixon combed the criminal records of the era to glean extraordinary details about the artist’s run-ins with the law. He skillfully evokes the social and religious context of turn-of-the-17th-century Italy.” — Ann Levin, Associated Press

“This book [resees] its subject with rare clarity and power as a painter for the 21st century.” — Hilary Spurling, New York Times Book Review

“Graham-Dixon's biography brilliantly illuminates the life of an artist who was no less shadowy than his canvases--a man capable of both committing murder and creating ineffable beauty.” — Joseph Luzzi, Bookforum

“[Graham-Dixon’s] achieved a masterpiece of his own: an informative, fresh account of the painter’s life and death. Even more impressive are the author’s powerful and accessible analyses of Caravaggio’s paintings, commentary that leaves readers eager to see the pieces at the heart of the story.” — Michelle Jones, Dallas Morning News

“Caravaggio has rarely been seen in such depth and such relief as in this marvellous biography.” — Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum

“A thrilling lesson in the art of seeing, a sensual exploration of the shadows of Caravaggio's sometimes violent but always Christian world, a detective story with a highly satisfying ending.” — Peter Carey

“Andrew Graham-Dixon brings the bad-boy genius of the 17th century to life as vividly as if he were one of today's pop stars.” — John Richardson, author of A Life of Picasso

“Andrew Graham-Dixon is the most gifted art critic of his generation.” — Robert Hughes, former art critic of Time Magazine and author of The Shock of the New

“I have never known an art critic in London who responds so well, year in and year out, to the challenge of subjects that cover the whole range of Western art.” — John Russell, long-time art critic of The New York Times